Ashley had quite a project on her
hands. She had just finished her
residency, and moved out of a three-bedroom apartment that was shared by a total of
four roommates. With only a handful of
furniture pieces in tow, she went searching for more space, and found a
former embroidery factory that had been recently renovated in Chicago’s West Town
neighborhood.

Now the question was how to create a new home that suited her tastes, and that didn't look like she had just selected everything from a catalog. By looking around for local inspiration, spending lots of time shopping online, and drawing inspiration from her collection of funky artwork, Ashley was able to create in just two short years a modern and chic apartment that perfectly showed off her style.

Once you spend some time in
Ashley’s apartment, you realize there is a lot to be discovered. In fact, her apartment is a lot like the
unique pieces of artwork that are peppered about everywhere. One piece, titled Candy Doctor, was custom
made for her, based on a survey of her likes. From afar it looks like a Rorschach image, but as you get closer you see
that it’s made of dozens of stickers placed in a perfectly symmetrical fashion:
fruits and plants and pastries, each one symbolic of one of Ashley’s loves, as
interpreted by the artist from Flat Vernacular. Her apartment as a whole shares this
important characteristic: you get one impression from afar, and another when
you get close and study it.

For example, the light at the end
of the entry corridor draws you in, but you can’t help but notice the row of
colorful shoes all lined up at the front door. These are the most individualized part of Ashley’s uniform, which mainly
consists of scrubs and a lab coat. She
has to get some color in there any way she can! Two bedrooms are located right off this entry hall, with windows facing
into an interior courtyard. The first,
the master bedroom, feels luxurious and glamorous. It’s a wonderfully large space with ample
room for a tall bed, a large metal dresser, and even a makeup table (a rarity
to see in modern apartments these days).
Each area is full of artwork, books and magazines, tiny objects of
interest, and plants and flowers. The guest bedroom doubles an office, and is
painted a most relaxing lavender color.

A guest would typically bypass
these two rooms and head right down the hallway, where they would notice the
many display nooks built right into the fabric of the space. One “cabinet of curiosities,” as I began to
think of them, is dedicated to photographs, while another is dedicated to Ashley’s
unexpectedly acquired collection of owl figures.
It all started with a gift of a delicate white figure made of many tiny
pieces, then a hand-sewn stuffed owl made by her sister, and then they just
started flying in! The collection has
grown to include several other birds acquired on trips abroad; the owl
theme has spread to other places in the apartment, such as the cute owl on her
doormat.

As you reach the front of the
apartment, there is an open plan arrangement in the kitchen, dining room, and
living room, with a balcony off the kitchen, perfect for a small herb
garden. Glamorous black velvet chairs
sit around a distressed-wood table. The
dining area is flanked by a large marble fireplace, a grand armoire with
cascading flowers atop, an antique opium bench, and industrial stools at the
kitchen counter. The living space mixes
a deep purple Persian rug with bold magenta pillows and a bright blue sofa,
along with the golden accents in the table and on the wall.

Overall, the apartment has the
casual charm and relaxed nature of a modern-day traveling caravan. There are soft and inviting textures
everywhere: tall ceilings and open space make it feel airy and light; jewel
tones abound, but as accents to what is actually a very modern style; and most
importantly, it is an intensely personal place, curated from a collection of
travels, family history, and gifts.

Apartment Therapy Survey:

My Style: I’m
not really sure what my style is. I buy things I like and then figure out how
to fit them all together. I like things that are elegant and beautiful but also
easy to live with and comfortable. I try
not to take my style or myself too seriously, so I find art and accents that are
playful and fun.

Inspiration: I
follow several design blogs and am always picking up design magazines. We spent
a few years in London when I was a child, and my mother picked up a lot of
antiques there, so I grew up in a home that was fairly traditional. I loved that
she always had interesting objects around that usually had a good story behind
them. My sister, Darcie, has a very playful personality and style and keeps me
from being too serious. My friend Manuel Navarro is an interior designer and
has a beautiful home with his partner Colt, a friend of mine from Residency.
Manuel helped me a lot with the arrangement of the furniture and overall design
recommendations. He was the recipient of
many late night emails or text messages asking if I should buy this piece of
furniture or that one… or this one… or that one… then usually an hour later… or
this one.

Favorite Element: I
can’t say I have one favorite. I love my Eva Zeisel coffee table. I love the
combination of the black velvet chairs with the rustic dining room table. I love my bed.

Biggest Challenge: Since
I am renting I have not wanted to spend the time or money to paint or change
the light fixtures. I am not a fan of the red accent walls in the living area
or of the pendant lights. So far my strategy has been to ignore them, but I
don’t think it’s working too well.

What Friends Say: It’s
a pretty comfortable place to hang out. They are usually finding a new piece of
art work or knickknack to examine.

Biggest Embarrassment: I
had plans to build a window seat in the turret area shortly after I moved in — even went so far as to plan it out and buy the materials. That was a year and a
half ago. So now I have plywood and
upholstering foam stacked in the second bedroom. My friends and family love to
ask how the project is going, since it is obviously not going very far, and I get
to explain it to any new guests.

Proudest DIY: Well, if I ever finish it then it would be the window seat — see above.

Biggest Indulgence: I
had a hard time finding a couch I liked. It was one of the first pieces of
furniture I bought, and I wasn’t sure what the rest of the room was going to look
like. Eventually I found a couch I liked and a fabric I liked, but of course the
couch I wanted did not come in that fabric so I had to special order it. It was
my first big purchase and definitely my biggest indulgence.

Best Advice: When
I moved in I had almost no furniture, I decided to wait until I found the right
pieces rather than try to just fill the space because I needed a couch, or a
table, or a lamp. It took a little longer to have the place furnished, but I
think it feels more like my home this way.